Author: claimsbot

1-14. (canceled)
15. A lighting device for room lighting, comprising:
a carrier plate having a reflective mounting surface;
a plurality of light-emitting semiconductor chips arranged on the carrier plate and spaced apart from one another; and
a translucent or transparent emission plate arranged downstream from the light-emitting semiconductor chips in an emission direction;
wherein the emission plate has a light outcoupling surface facing away from the light-emitting semiconductor chips;
wherein the emission plate has a plurality of recesses, which are each arranged downstream from at least one semiconductor chip; and
wherein each of the recesses has, on an inner surface facing toward the semiconductor chips, a diffuser material andor a wavelength conversion material spaced apart from the light-emitting semiconductor chips.
16. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the recesses are in the form of spherical caps.
17. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the recesses each have a diameter that is larger than side lengths of the semiconductor chips by a factor greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to 20.
18. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the emission plate has a lens-shaped surface structure over at least some recesses on the light outcoupling surface.
19. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein respectively one light-emitting semiconductor chip is arranged in one recess in each case.
20. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the reflective mounting surface is formed by a metallically conductive layer.
21. The lighting device according to claim 20, wherein the light-emitting semiconductor chips are electrically connected by the metallically conductive layer.
22. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the carrier plate has a plurality of webs on the mounting surface andor on a rear side opposite to the mounting surface.
23. The lighting device according to claim 22, wherein the emission plate has grooves, in which webs of the carrier plate provided on the installation side are arranged.
24. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein a rear side, which is opposite to the mounting surface, of the carrier plate is formed by a metal plate or metal foil.
25. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein a rear side, which is opposite to the mounting surface, of the carrier plate has a heat-emitting coating.
26. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the emission plate has, for diffuse scattering, scattering particles distributed in the emission plate andor scattering structures on a rear side opposite to the light outcoupling surface andor a translucent coating andor scattering structures on the light outcoupling surface.
27. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the emission plate has, in each of the recesses on the inner surface facing toward the semiconductor chips, a wavelength conversion material, which converts light emitted from the semiconductor chips into converted light, and wherein, on the respective side of the wavelength conversion material facing toward the semiconductor chips, a reflector layer is arranged, which is reflective for the converted light and is transmissive for the light emitted from the semiconductor chips.
28. The lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the emission plate is connected to the carrier plate by clamping nails.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A route searching method for execution by a computer for finding a recommended route from a departure place to a destination,
wherein the computer stores preference parameters calculated as road usage frequencies, representing preference degrees, according to preference items which can be factors for route selection, and
wherein the computer executes the steps of:
receiving location information specifying a departure place and a destination;
selecting, out of the preference parameters, at least one preference parameter similar to user attribute data;
adjusting, based on the selected preference parameter, a cost of each road link; and
determining, based on the adjusted cost of each road link, a minimum-cost route from a departure place to a destination.
2. The route searching method according to claim 1,
wherein the preference items comprise information which can be factors for route selection on such items as vehicle type, driver age, driver gender, travel purpose, and passengers, and
wherein the user attribute data comprises information which indicate characteristics of a user or vehicle on such items as vehicle type, driver age, driver gender, travel purpose, and passengers.
3. The route searching method according to claim 1, wherein the step of selecting, out of the preference parameters, at least one preference parameter similar to user attribute data includes the steps of;
determining, based on user vehicle travel data, a route preference of the user; and
selecting, out of the preference parameters, at least one preference parameter similar to the route preference of the user.
4. A route searching system for finding a recommended route from a departure place to a destination, comprising
an in-vehicle terminal apparatus which transmits travel data as probe data, the travel data including location information, time information, vehicle information such as information on brake and wiper operations, and travel environment information such as atmospheric temperature and road surface temperature information, and a center apparatus provided with a probe data storing unit which stores the probe data transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal apparatus,
wherein the center apparatus includes:
a preference parameter calculation unit which classifies the stored probe data into preference items which can be factors for route selection and calculates each road-link usage frequencies, as preference degrees, according to the preference items; and
a communication unit which transmits the preference parameters when requested from the in-vehicle terminal apparatus, and
wherein the in-vehicle terminal apparatus includes:
a location information input unit which receives location information specifying a departure place and a destination;
an attribute information storing unit which stores attribute information on such items as vehicle, driver, and passenger;
a communication unit which requests the center apparatus to transmit at least one preference parameter similar to the attribute information and receives the transmitted preference parameter;
a link cost adjusting unit which adjusts a cost of each link according to the received preference parameter;
a route searching unit which determines, based on the adjusted link cost, a minimum-cost route from a departure place to a destination; and
a route presentation unit which presents, using a display device or by voice, route information obtained using the route searching unit to the user.
5. The route searching system according to claim 4, wherein the center apparatus further includes a preference parameter consolidation unit which consolidates correlated ones of the preference parameters into a consolidated preference parameter.
6. A route searching system for finding a recommended route from a departure place to a destination, comprising
an in-vehicle terminal apparatus which transmits travel data as probe data, the travel data including location information, time information, vehicle information such as information on brake and wiper operations, and travel environment information such as atmospheric temperature and road surface temperature information, and a center apparatus provided with a probe data storing unit which stores the probe data transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal apparatus,
wherein the center apparatus includes:
a preference parameter calculation unit which calculates the road usage frequencies, based on the stored probe data, as preference degrees according to preference items which can be factors for route selection;
a preference parameter storing unit which stores the calculated preference parameters;
a request receiving unit which receives a request for route searching from the in-vehicle terminal apparatus, the request including attribute information on such items as vehicle, driver, and passenger and location information specifying a departure place and a destination;
a route searching unit which selects at least one preference parameter similar to the collected attribute information from the preference parameter storing unit, adjusts costs of links to be considered in route searching according to the selected preference parameter, and determines a minimum-cost route from a departure place to a destination; and
a transmission unit which transmits information on the determined route to the in-vehicle terminal apparatus, and
wherein the in-vehicle terminal apparatus includes:
a location information input unit which receives location information specifying a departure place and a destination;
an attribute information storing unit which stores attribute information on such items as vehicle, driver, and passenger;
a route request unit which requests the center apparatus to search for a route to a destination;
a receiving unit which receives route information from the center apparatus; and
a route presentation unit which presents, using a display device or by voice, the received route information to the user.
7. A route searching system for finding a recommended route from a departure place to a destination, comprising
an in-vehicle terminal apparatus which transmits travel data as probe data, the travel data including location information, time information, vehicle information such as information on brake and wiper operations, and travel environment information such as atmospheric temperature and road surface temperature information, and a center apparatus provided with a probe data storing unit which stores the probe data transmitted from the in-vehicle terminal apparatus,
wherein the center apparatus includes:
a preference parameter calculation unit which calculates the road usage frequencies, based on the stored probe data, as preference degrees according to preference items which can be factors for route selection;
a preference parameter storing unit which stores the preference parameters;
a request receiving unit which receives a request for route searching from the in-vehicle terminal apparatus, the request including location information specifying a departure place and a destination;
a route preference calculation unit which determines a route preference of the vehicle based on the travel data stored in the probe data storing unit;
a route searching unit which selects at least one preference parameter similar to the route preference of the vehicle from the preference parameter storing unit, adjusts costs of links to be considered in route searching according to the selected preference parameter, and determines a minimum-cost route from a departure place to a destination; and
a transmission unit which transmits information on the determined route to the in-vehicle terminal apparatus, and
wherein the in-vehicle terminal apparatus includes:
a location information input unit which receives location information specifying a departure place and a destination;
an attribute information storing unit which stores attribute information on such items as vehicle, driver, and passenger;
a route request unit which requests the center apparatus to search for a route to a destination;
a receiving unit which receives route information from the center apparatus; and
a route presentation unit which presents, using a display device or by voice, the received route information to the user.
8. A navigation apparatus for finding a recommended route from a departure place to a destination and guiding a user to the destination, comprising:
a preference parameter storing unit which stores preference parameters calculated as each road-link usage frequencies, representing preference degrees, according to preference items which can be factors for route selection;
an attribute information storing unit which stores user attribute data; and
a route searching unit which selects at least one preference parameter similar to the attribute data, adjusts a cost of each link according to the selected preference parameter, and determines a minimum-cost route from a departure place to a destination.
9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a travel data storing unit which stores travel data on an own vehicle,
wherein the user attribute data represents a route preference calculated from the travel data.
10. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a preference parameter updating unit which updates, by communication or via a portable recording medium, the preference parameters stored in the preference parameter storing unit.

1. A refrigerator comprising:
a refrigerator body having an opening, and a storage room provided therein;
a door closingopening the opening;
a sealing part provided to at least one of the door and the refrigerator body to prevent a cold air from leaking from the storage room; and
a flow cutoff part provided inside the sealing part to prevent the cold air from leaking together with the sealing part by cutting off at least one portion of the cold air flowing toward the sealing part from the storage room.
2. The refrigerator of claim 1, the flow cutoff part comprising a rib projected outwardly.
3. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the rib is configured convex toward the storage room with a prescribed curvature.
4. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the rib extends long in a length direction.
5. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the rib comprises a plurality of rib members arranged to be spaced apart from each other.
6. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the flow cutoff part is detachably provided to an inner lateral side of the door.
7. The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the flow cutoff part is provided to an inner lateral side of the door and wherein a tip of the rib is spaced apart from an inner lateral side of the storage room.
8. The refrigerator of claim 6, the flow cutoff part further comprising a fixing portion having a shape corresponding to that of a fixing groove provided to the inner lateral side of the door to be fitted into the fixing groove.
9. The refrigerator of claim 8, wherein an insertion groove having one open side is provided to the fixing portion to enable the sealing part to be fitted into the insertion groove while the fixing portion is fitted into the fixing groove.
10. The refrigerator of claim 9, the sealing part comprising a fixing protrusion to be fitted into the insertion groove provided to the flow cutoff part.
11. The refrigerator of claim 8, the flow cutoff part further comprising a support portion having a shape corresponding to a hanging sill provided to an entrance side of the fixing groove.
12. The refrigerator of claim 2, the flow cutoff part further comprising a tilted portion provided to a tip of the flow cutoff part to be tilted in a direction opposite to a direction that the rib is projected.
13. The refrigerator of claim 6, wherein a body of the flow cutoff part provided with at least one rib is farther tilted toward the inner lateral side of the door to be pressed to the inner lateral side of the door.
14. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a recessed portion is provided to at least one of an inner lateral side of the door and an inner lateral side of the storage room to accommodate the flow cutoff part.
15. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the sealing part and the flow cutoff part are built in one body.
16. The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the flow cutoff part is attached to an inner lateral side of the door by a prescribed adhesive agent.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A navigation device, comprising:
a location determining component configured to generate geographic location data indicative of a geographic location of the navigation device and a boundary line formed over a body of water;
a processor configured to:
calculate a present speed and direction of the navigation device based upon changes in the geographic location data over time;
start a countdown timer having an expiration time indicating when a boat in which the navigation device is mounted needs to cross the boundary line; and

a display configured to:
display a graphical representation of the geographic location of the navigation device, the boundary line, and a predictor line extending from the geographic location of the navigation device in the direction in which the boat is traveling,

wherein the predictor line has a length representing a predicted distance to be traversed by the boat when traveling at the calculated present speed for a time period equal to the expiration time of the countdown timer.
2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to display the predictor line having a first color when the predicted distance is less than or equal to the distance between the navigation device and the boundary line, and to display the predictor line having a second color when the predicted distance is greater than the distance between the navigation device and the boundary line.
3. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to update the graphical representation of the predictor line as the calculated present speed of the navigation device changes over time.
4. The navigation device of claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor configured to measure wind direction and to generate wind data,
wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a port layline angle and a starboard layline angle based upon the wind data, and
wherein the display is further configured to display a port layline at the calculated port layline angle extending from each end of the boundary line and a starboard layline at the calculated starboard layline angle extending from each end of the boundary line.
5. The navigation device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to:
calculate a length of the port layline from each respective end of the boundary line based upon a distance traversed by the boat tacking at the port layline angle for a selected target time period at a target boat speed, and
calculate a length of the starboard layline from each respective end of the boundary line based upon a distance traversed by the boat tacking at the starboard layline angle for the selected target time period at a target boat speed.
6. The navigation device of claim 5, wherein the display is further configured to display a port guideline connecting the end of each port layline extending from each end of the boundary line, and to display a starboard guideline connecting the end of each starboard layline extending from each end of the boundary line.
7. The navigation device of claim 6, wherein the display is further configured to update the length of each port layline, the angle of each port layline, the length of each starboard layline, the angle of each starboard layline, the port guideline, and the starboard guideline as the wind data indicates changes in the wind direction.
8. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a predicted boundary arrival time in which the boat will cross the boundary line based upon the boundary distance and the calculated present speed of the navigation device, and
wherein the display is further configured to display a difference between the predicted boundary arrival time and the time period equal to the expiration time of the countdown timer.
9. A navigation device located within a sailboat, comprising:
a location determining component configured to generate geographic location data indicative of a geographic location of the sailboat and a starting line of a sailboat race;
a processor configured to:
calculate a present speed and direction of the sailboat based upon changes in the geographic location data over time;
start a countdown timer having an expiration time indicating when the sailboat needs to cross the starting line for purposes of the sailboat race, and

a display configured to:
display a graphical representation of the geographic location of the sailboat, the starting line, and a predictor line extending from the geographic location of the sailboat in the direction in which the sailboat is traveling,

wherein the predictor line has a length representing a predicted distance traversed by the sailboat when traveling at the calculated present speed for a time period equal to the expiration time of the countdown timer, and
wherein the display is further configured to update the displayed predictor line based upon changes in the calculated present speed of the sailboat such that the displayed predictor line has a first color when the predicted distance is less than or equal to the distance between the sailboat and the starting line, and has a second color when the predicted distance is greater than the distance between the sailboat and the starting line.
10. The navigation device of claim 9, further comprising:
a user interface configured to receive a user selection indicating an offset distance between a mounted location of the navigation device within the sailboat and the sailboat bow, and
wherein the location determining component is further configured to utilize the offset distance to generate the geographic location data such that the geographic location of the sailboat is referenced to the sailboat bow.
11. The navigation device of claim 9, wherein the display is further configured to update the graphical representation of the predictor line as the calculated present speed of the sailboat changes over time.
12. The navigation device of claim 9, further comprising:
a sensor configured to measure wind direction and to generate wind data,
wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a port layline angle and a starboard layline angle based upon the wind data, and
wherein the display is further configured to display a port layline at the calculated port layline angle extending from each end of the starting line and a starboard layline at the calculated starboard layline angle extending from each end of the starting line.
13. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:
calculate a length of the port layline from each respective end of the starting line based upon a predicted distance to be traversed by the sailboat tacking at the port layline angle for a selected target time period at a target sailboat speed, and
calculate a length of the starboard layline from each respective end of the starting line based upon a predicted distance to be traversed by the sailboat tacking at the starboard layline angle for the selected target time period at a target sailboat speed.
14. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the display is further configured to display a port guideline connecting the end of each port layline extending from each end of the starting line, and to display a starboard guideline connecting the end of each starboard layline extending from each end of the starting line.
15. The navigation device of claim 14, wherein the display is further configured to
update the length of each port layline, the angle of each port layline, the length of each starboard layline, the angle of each starboard layline, the port guideline, and the starboard guideline as the wind data indicates changes in the wind direction.
16. The navigation device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a predicted starting line arrival time in which the boat will cross the starting line based upon the present speed of the sailboat, and
wherein the display is further configured to display a difference between the starting line arrival time and the time period equal to the expiration time of the countdown timer.
17. A computer-implemented method in a mobile computing device, comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, geographic location data indicative of a geographic location of the sailboat and a starting line of a sailboat race;
calculating, by one or more processors, a present speed and direction of the sailboat based upon changes in the geographic location data over time;
starting, by one or more processors, a countdown timer having an expiration time indicating when the sailboat needs to cross the starting line for purposes of the sailboat race; and
displaying, by one or more processors, a graphical representation of the geographic location of the sailboat, the starting line, and a predictor line extending from the geographic location of the sailboat in the direction in which the sailboat is traveling,
wherein the predictor line has a length representing a predicted distance traversed by the sailboat when traveling at the calculated present speed for a time period equal to the expiration time of the countdown timer, and
updating, by one or more processors, the displayed predictor line based upon changes in the calculated present speed of the sailboat such that the displayed predictor line has a first color when the predicted distance is less than or equal to the distance between the sailboat and the starting line, and has a second color when the predicted distance is greater than the distance between the sailboat and the starting line.
18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising:
measuring, by one or more processors, a wind direction,
calculating, by one or more processors, a port layline angle and a starboard layline angle based upon the wind data, and
displaying, by one or more processors, a port layline at the calculated port layline angle extending from each end of the boundary line, and
displaying, by one or more processors, a starboard layline at the calculated starboard layline angle extending from each end of the boundary line.
19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, further comprising:
calculating, by one or more processors, a length of the port layline from each respective end of the boundary line based upon a distance traversed by the sailboat tacking at the port layline angle for a selected target time period at a target sailboat speed, and
calculating, by one or more processors, a length of the starboard layline from each respective end of the boundary line based upon a distance traversed by the sailboat tacking at the starboard layline angle for the selected target time period at a target sailboat speed.
20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising:
displaying, by one or more processors, a port guideline connecting the end of each port layline extending from each end of the boundary line;
displaying, by one or more processors, a starboard guideline connecting the end of each starboard layline extending from each end of the boundary line; and
updating, by one or more processors, the length of each port layline, the angle of each port layline, the length of each starboard layline, the angle of each starboard layline, the port guideline, and the starboard guideline as the wind data indicates changes in the wind direction.